Don't Look Away
by five letter word
Summary: When dozens of new half- bloods are claimed, their scent grows stronger. When an accident causes a prophecy to be made, who will answer the call? ON HIATUS, INDEFINITELY.
1. Dyslexia Becomes a Contagious Disease

**Chapter One:  
How Dyslexia Became A Contagious Disease  
**

* * *

Percy Jackson was sitting in the airport. His ADHD was really acting up, as it usually did in overcrowded public places. Although he was trying to listen to his mp3 player, he could not help but notice the man sitting across from him who was chewing his fingernails and speaking to himself.

Percy had not been to an airport in ages- not only did he dislike flying, but any plane with Percy flying on it had a ninety- nine point nine percent chance of being struck by one of his uncle's lightning bolts.

Therefore, needless to say, Percy was not waiting to catch a plane himself. The reason Percy had been waiting in an airport terminal for two hours on a perfect snowy day was because all of the times that Annabeth had teased him for being expelled from so many schools had finally come back to bite her.

Annabeth Chase was Percy's girlfriend and best friend. She had attended a public school in San Francisco up until a week ago, when her Algebra III teacher suddenly decided to assign extra homework- and then sprout wings and claws, and try to kill her. As it turns out, Mrs. Fryen, her teacher, was actually a Fury. Annabeth was quick to destroy her with her bronze knife, but all that her classmates saw through the mist was Annabeth pulling a knife on her teacher, and the little old woman running for her life, never to be seen again.

She was kicked out of school; she had begged her father to send her back to New York, to her old boarding school, Madison Secondary School for Girls. Mr. Chase reluctantly agreed, and Annabeth was arriving today. She was staying with Percy for the last days of winter vacation, and he was helping her move back into the school.

He nearly jumped out of his seat in joy at the sight of Annabeth's curly blonde ponytail coming through the crowd. He met her halfway, and greeted her with a bone-breaking hug. They had been dating for four and a half months, but it had been four months since they'd seen each other last. Even though she was clearly tired and jetlagged, she was an extremely welcome sight.

"You got taller, Seaweed Brain." She mumbled into his shoulder, before they released each other. Percy smiled at her. He knew from the silver sparkle in her grey eyes that that as her way of saying that she missed him.

"So, are you excited for your new- er- old school?" Percy said as they walked to the luggage carousel.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I mean, the public school had no programs or classes at all for Architecture or Design, and you know what I have been working on, and I need those sorts of resources. Madison has all of that." She said, with a look of excitement on her face. Annabeth had been honored with the privilege to design the new city on Mount Olympus. "And I miss New York. It's too hot in California."

She thought for a second, as if she was calculating what to say next. "I'm still deciding whether being in such a close proximity to you all of the time will be a high or low point." She said, finally. Percy laughed, and slid his hand into hers.

"Madison is only, like, five minutes away from my school, you know." He said, squeezing her hand lightly.

Annabeth laughed. "Gods! Even closer than I thought!- Oh! There are my bags." She said, pointing to two identical grey suitcases seemingly held together by iron bands passing by on the carousel, out of her reach. Percy quickly stretched out and grabbed them before they passed.

They were a lot heavier than they appeared, so Percy was thankful when he saw that they had wheels.

He recognized the metalwork immediately. "Did Tyson make these?" He asked, as Annabeth took the second suitcase, and they began to walk toward the exit.

She smiled happily. "Yes! He sent them to me for Christmas!" She said, as the walked out into the parking lot. She pulled a blue ski cap out of her jacket pocket, and pulled it over her hair. "They were exactly what I needed, too." She explained. "He made them specially- they hold much, much more than they look like they can, and they confuse the X-Ray machines, so- well, I could bring my knife and armor without any questions."

"Ah, so my younger brother is helping you smuggle weapons across the country. I see." Percy said, with a smile. Annabeth elbowed him very hard in the side, as they approached Percy's truck.

"You got a new car?" She said, questioningly as he began- with extreme difficulty- loading the suitcases into the back.

"Um- yes-" He said, as he struggled to put them away. "Annabeth! These must weigh at least 200 pounds each. Is that even allowed on flights?" She shrugged and smirked. "Doesn't matter. Thalia taught me the mist trick after the battle last summer."

Percy made a mental note to get Annabeth to teach him that.

It was a short drive back to Percy's apartment. Percy talked the door attendant into allowing them to use the service elevator, and soon enough, they were up to the fourth floor.

Percy took a deep breath, and turned to Annabeth. "Just for the record- I have no idea what will happen after we open this door, but it may be scarier than anything we've ever faced before."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "What-?" She began slowly, but Percy unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

Percy's mother, Sally, was sitting on the sofa. She immediately jumped up, and squished Annabeth and Percy into a hug. "Hello!" She said, jubilantly. "Annabeth, dear! It's so nice to see you again!" Annabeth grinned, and walked with Sally over to the sofa. "How was your flight?" She said, as the two sat down. "Percy, Paul is in the kitchen finishing dinner. Why don't you see if he needs help?"

Percy left his mother an Annabeth, and went into the kitchen. Paul Blofis, his stepdad and teacher was taking a roasted chicken from the stove. "Hello Perce." He said, thumping him on the back.

"Hey Paul." Percy said, taking four plates and four glasses from the cabinet, and quickly setting the table. "Do you need any help?"

Paul looked around the kitchen slowly. "I think I've got it under control, thanks." He said, smiling. "Did Annabeth's flight go alright?"

Percy nodded. "It was delayed because of the snow, but she said it went smoothly." Paul nodded, and moved the chicken onto a serving plate.

He wiped off his hands on a towel beside the sink, and then grinned furtively at Percy. "Are you happy to see her again?"

Percy smiled back. "Very."

Paul laughed, and shook his head. "Why don't you call them in for dinner?"

Over dinner, Percy learned that he was right to warn Annabeth before entering the apartment. While he was in the kitchen, even though it was just for a short time, his mother had told Annabeth numerous stories about when he was little; the embarrassing, horrifying, baby-on-a-bearskin-rug kind.

For dessert, Sally made brownies with blue frosting. Percy saw Annabeth's eyes sparkling when Sally brought the plate out. He had told her numerous times about his mom's obsession with blue food. After dinner, Annabeth and Percy moved her luggage into his room, while Sally made up the sofa in the living room for Annabeth to sleep on.

Annabeth sat down on Percy's bed, and looked around the room. Her eyes rested on his dresser, where there were three pictures. One was taken a few summers back, and it was of Annabeth, Percy, and their friend Grover, A Satyr. The other was of Percy and Tyson. The last one was of Paul, Sally, and Percy at Paul and Sally's wedding. Annabeth looked from the pictures to Percy, who was hurriedly shoving clothes from the floor into his closet.

Annabeth laughed. "There's no point." She mused. "I figured your room would be a mess without Tyson to clean up after you. You should've cleaned before I saw the mess, Seaweed-"

Percy waved her off. "Well, we're not all brilliant strategists, are we?" He said, softly.

She blushed scarlet, and pulled her hair out of her ponytail. It had grown longer since Percy saw her last. Percy began absentmindedly playing with one of her curls. "So, can I see the plans for Olympus?" He asked.

Annabeth yawned. "You can see them tomorrow, when you help me move in. I don't want to unload everything now. I'm too tired." Percy nodded in agreement. "I'm almost done though!" She said, suddenly a little more energized. "We will have to bring them up to Lord Hephaestus and my mother. I really hope they like it." Percy stopped playing with her hair, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"They'll love it." He promised. Annabeth smiled.

"You haven't seen it. How would you know?"

"Because I know you."

And she kissed him.

At times, Percy felt odd- because they hadn't seen each other in so long, he and Annabeth were still caught in an awkward transition phase between being best friends, and being more. Sometimes it was strange to look at her and to realize that she felt the same way about him that he felt about her. He did not need to hide it anymore; he didn't need to deny his feelings.

Then there were other times- times like this- when nothing felt more meant to be…

…At least until the door swung open.

Percy and Annabeth jumped apart, color rising into both of their cheeks. Sally stood there, her face split somewhere between embarrassment, shock, and an extremely strong desire to laugh. "Annabeth, your dad's on the phone."

Annabeth stood up. She was red in the face, and biting her lip. "Thank you, Mrs. Blofis." She said through gritted teeth. She fished a pair of pajamas from her suitcase, and then forced a smile at Percy. "Get some sleep, Seaweed Brain. I've got a lot of stuff to move in tomorrow."

With that, she winked, took the phone, and turned away. _"Hey Dad-"_

Sally looked at Percy, and smirked. Percy raised an eyebrow at her. Neither of them blinked. Finally, Sally looked away.

"You win. I'll knock next time."

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, Percy and Annabeth reloaded her bags into his truck. It was a fifteen-minute drive to Annabeth's school.

Annabeth's room was on the top floor of the dorm- of course. It took the two of them nearly an hour just to get the bags up the stairs.

The room was big- much larger than any of Percy's rooms at boarding schools had ever been. There were three beds, three desks, three dressers, and a closet. Two beds were bare, and the other was covered with a large, hot pink comforter, fuzzy pink pillows, and several stuffed animals. Annabeth and Percy exchanged glances, and then Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Do you know who either of your roommates are?" Percy asked, opening the suitcase that Annabeth told him to. She shook her head.

"The woman who called only told me that I'd be rooming with one of their Junior class adviser and they were going to stick another transfer student in too. Put that on the bed." She explained and directed, while putting clothes away into the dresser.

"Do you know anything about either of them?" Percy asked, putting Annabeth's white sheets onto one of the empty beds.

"The adviser girl's name is Jane, Jean- something like that. I don't know anything about the other one though. They would not give me any details. I sounded like the woman on the phone didn't even know."

"That's really weird." Percy said, suspiciously, unfolding her grey comforter. "Do you think it's-"

Annabeth read his mind. "No. I don't think it's a trap or anything. But just in case," She reached into her bag, and pulled out her trusty celestial bronze knife. She waved it in the air, before putting it in its holster concealed by the sleeve on her sweater.

"Okay." Percy said, a little uncomfortably. He did not like the thought that Annabeth could possibly be living with a monster. They finished eventually, the last thing unpacked being Annabeth's plans for Olympus. She spread them out on her desk- the one beside her bed.

Percy looked at it in amazement. Despite the letters and numbers that were flying off the page for Percy, beneath the angles and measurements, there was a plan for a striking new city.

There were monuments and temples to all of the Olympian gods. "Gods- Annabeth- It's amazing." He said, putting an arm around her.

"Really?" She said, beaming up at him.

He squeezed her. "It's perfect."

"Thanks so much! I was worried about the columns on Aphro-" She began, but she instantly stopped talking when there was a knock on the door. They turned to face the door, where a small girl who was their age, walked in. She had a short, pink skirt on with a white t-shirt.

"Hello!" A high, peppy voice said. "You must be Annie Bell."

Annabeth stood up to shake the girl's hand. "It's Annabeth." She corrected, politely. "You must be Jean?"

"It's Jane."

"Sorry, I'm dyslexic."

"Omygawd! I'm so sorry. Who's your friend?"

Percy, who was doing all he could not to laugh, gave a slight wave. "That's my boyfriend, Percy. He's just helping me move in."

"Aw, he's cute." Jane said, hugging one of the many stuffed cats on her bed. "So, you're new here?"

Annabeth shuffled her feet, briefly touching her plans. Percy knew this was his cue to hide them. He began to roll them up. "Yes and no. I came here for a while a few years ago, but then I moved to San Francisco."

Jane wrinkled her nose. "Why would you move back here? I'd miss the beach."

Percy suddenly remembered something. "Annabeth, I'll be back in a minute." He said, grabbing his keys, and starting out the door.

_"Fine."_ She mumbled back, trying to hide the annoyance in her tone. Percy knew he would be punched for abandoning her with Jane later. He ran down ten flights of stairs, and into the lobby. There were two women standing in front of the front doors. One was clearly a school administrator, and the other was a teenager. He overheard a little of their conversation.

"So the room is on the top floor?" The girl complained loudly.

"Yes, Miss Gail."

"So, it's _really _high up then?"

"I suppose that depends on what you consider high, Miss Gail."

"Are there lots of windows?"

Percy hurried out to the parking lot. He grabbed what he had forgotten out of the back seat of the truck, and then raced back into the building. In hurry, he bumped into the girl. She turned around as if she was going to yell at him.

The girl had on very dark, seemingly opaque sunglasses on. Her hair was very long. It was pitch black, but was hidden by an equally dark hooded sweatshirt. She had on blue jeans, and torn and dirty converse sneakers. Percy thought she looked familiar. "Sorry." He muttered, when the girl surprised him by not yelling. She just looked mildly offended, then laughed, and then walked into the housing office.

Percy walked back up the ten flights of stairs, and then back into Annabeth's room.

"What's that?" Annabeth said, as Percy sat back down on her desk, handing her the box.

"Just something to remind you of me. Be careful- it's breakable," He said.

Annabeth opened the box, and pulled out a small fishbowl with a tiny blue fish swimming around.

"Aw, Seaweed Brain!" She giggled, putting the fishbowl on her desk.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "_Seaweed Brain_? That is the weirdest pet name I've ever heard in my life."

Annabeth laughed. "Trust me, its not a pet name." Percy smiled. Annabeth had initially called him 'Seaweed Brain' as an insult. Sometimes he forgot that she used to hate him.

Jane looked liked she was about to ask a question, when there was a knock on the open door.

It was the girl with the sunglasses.

"Annabeth Chase, I think your boyfriend just gets stupider by the year," She said, leaning against the doorframe, with her arms crossed.

She removed her sunglasses.

Percy could recognize those fierce blue eyes anywhere.

_Thalia._

He and Annabeth both sprung out of their seats.

Annabeth hugged her tightly. "I've missed you!" She exclaimed, letting her friend go.

Percy hugged her. "I can't believe you didn't recognize me, Seaweed Brain." She snorted, looked at him fiercely.

"Sorry, Pinecone Face, I've never seen you with sunglasses or long hair." He retorted.

Jane raised her hand, timidly with a slight smile.

"Confused- Party of One." She said, looking at Thalia.

"You must be Jean." Thalia said.

"It's Jane."

"Sorry, I'm dyslexic."

"Wait- what? You too?"

"Exactly. Any more questions?"

"Yes, what's your name?"

Thalia shook her hair out of her hood, and threw her sunglasses on her bed.

"I'm-" She shot a look at Percy and Annabeth. "-Tanya Gail."

Jane smiled. "Well, welcome to Madison, Tanya."

Thalia nodded, and looked at her desk, then at her bed, and then out the window. Percy and Annabeth were both looking at her inquisitively, both wondering why she was under a false identity, and why she had come back to the same school. She began unpacking her suitcase, and making the bed.

"How do you all know each other?" Thalia looked at Percy for less than a second.

"Percy and I are cousins." She stated. "And we went to camp with Annabeth."

Technically, it was true, and Jane seemed to accept that answer because she nodded.

"Cool. I'm going to run to the vending machine, down the hall. Does anyone want anything?" Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy shook their heads. "I'll be back in minute, then."

Thalia leaned forward. "So do you reckon she likes pink?" She laughed, glancing at Jane's bed. Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, and then at her with the same inquisitive looks as before. "I guess I have some explaining to do." She muttered.

"A little, Tanya." Percy scoffed.

Thalia took a deep breath.

"Well, I never was planning on staying with The Hunters forever, I mean, immortality was great and all, but I never pictured giving up boys forever, I mean, come on. I only joined because Seaweed Brain who needed to fulfill the Prophecy. Lady Artemis was not too happy, but I think I want to experience life for once. I mean, I am twenty-one years old. I spent seven of them as a tree, and one as immortal. I don't want to lose anymore of my years."

Percy looked at her. "But what's with the long hair and the changed name?" He asked.

Thalia nodded. "Courtesy of the year-rounders of the Aphrodite Cabin." She said, flipping the long black locks over her shoulder, with mock enthusiasm. "If I came to this school three years ago, being sixteen, and I still appear sixteen, and 'Thalia' should be in college, don't you think a couple people might be suspicious? Think, fish boy."

There was still one question that hadn't been answered, and Annabeth beat Percy to asking it.

"But why did you come back to this school?" She asked, seemingly upset that she had not already figured the answer on her own.

Thalia took a deep breath. "You'll never believe this, Percy! I heard that there was a demi-"

Jane walked back into the room, holding a bottle of water in her hand. She sat down on her bed. Thalia's conversation went on without a hitch.

"-_Lovato_concert coming to town, and I was like, gods! Annabeth would love that." Thalia finished, her voice rising a whole octave. Percy was always impressed by Thalia's quick thinking.

"Omygawd! I love Demi Lovato! When is the concert?" Jane said, looking at her cell phone screen. Thalia looked as if she would rather claw her own eyes out that actually attend a Demi Lovato concert.

"Don't remember."

"Oh well." Jane responded, lying back on her bed. "So what's with the weird nicknames? Seaweed Face and Pinecone Head or whatever?" She asked.

"I like the ocean." He said easily.

"And I like…" Thalia bit her lip. "…Trees."

Annabeth quickly covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh. Jane's eyes narrowed a little, clearly trying to figure out if they were lying or not. "Does Annabeth have a nickname too?"

"Wise Girl." The three demigods said at once.

"But we don't ever use it." Percy said. "It's just the best we could come up with."

"Why Wise Girl?" Jane asked, curiously.

"Because she's really smart." Thalia said, as if it was obvious.

"Really?" Jane exclaimed. "What are your favorite subjects?"

Annabeth squirmed in her seat a little. "I like Design- I want to be an architect, Ancient History, and Gym classes."

Jane looked disappointed. "Hmm. That stinks, I'm not in any of those classes. What about you, Tanya?"

Thalia looked up at her, smiling. "Sorry. Ancient History, Gym, and Latin."

Jane snapped her fingers in disappointment.

A woman, the same school administrator from the lobby, knocked on the open door, and poked her head into the room. "Miss Sanders, can I have a word with you?" Jane jumped up, and followed the woman out.

Once she was gone, Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy all leaned their heads closer together.

"So, there's a demigod here somewhere?" Percy asked. "He's claimed, right?"

Thalia nodded. "She, and yes, Percy- she's claimed. She just keeps evading the satyrs anyone who tries to bring her to camp. She a strong one."

"Who's her parent?" Annabeth asked, staring intently at Thalia, her eyes stormy. Thalia however, smiled smugly, and held up three fingers.

_"Who?"_Annabeth and Percy whisper-yelled together. Thalia bit her lip.

"Congratulations, Seaweed Brain. You're a big brother."

Percy felt his jaw drop. "Wait. What?"

"That's right. Your dad broke the oath twice. You and then two years after you."

Percy blinked a few times. "What's her name?"

"Melissa Robbins, she's fourteen." Thalia said, getting up, and continuing to unpack where she had left off. "I guess she has been having a lot of trouble with different monsters. That is why she doesn't trust the satyrs. She's refusing to believe anything."

"What does she look like?" Percy asked, curiosity bubbling inside of him. Thalia shrugged. "Don't know."

"We've got to find her and protect her, or get her to Camp Half-Blood…" Annabeth began, right as Jean walked in the room. "…_Prince_was by far the worst Harry Potter movie. They screwed everything up!" Percy and Thalia both nodded in agreement, and gave the most convincing fake laughs that they could. Annabeth slid her hand into Percy's casually, and squeezed it.

"Sorry, guys, but I have to go give a tour." She said, letting out a fake sigh. " I guess I will see you girls later then. It was so nice meeting you, Percy." Jane said, beginning to retreat from the room.

"Goodbye, Jean." Percy said.

"It's Jane."

"Sorry. Dyslexia."

"Oh my gosh. Is it like, contagious?"

"Deathly." Thalia scowled.

Once she was out of earshot, Thalia smiled. "Wow. She is a special one." Then, she stood up. "Why don't we take a walk around campus and then get some lunch in the caf? We can talk about all of this down there."

The three of them exited the dorm, and walked outside. There was a long line of cars, as parents dropped off their daughters who would resume classes the following day. The girls were squealing, and hugging, and jabbering about their vacations. The campus was small. There were four very tall buildings and a short one. Of the tall buildings, one was a dorm, two were classrooms, and the last, and shortest, was used for after class programs. Annabeth said that there was a pool on the ground floor, a gym on the floor up from that, the third floor was a studio, used for dance and fencing. The remaining floors were a theatre. The small building was the cafeteria. In between the buildings was a cobblestone courtyard with a large tree and several park benches, all covered with snow.

"She probably looks like you, Percy." Annabeth said, softly. "All of my siblings have blonde hair and grey eyes."

Percy just shrugged. For some reason, he had not taken his father seriously when he said that he would send him siblings for next summer.

"I'm still waiting to see how many new people are in my cabin." Thalia said, letting out a huff of breath in the cold winter air. "You know my dad, there'll probably be a million little Thalia's running around."

"Oh gods." Percy and Annabeth said, together.

They quickly made their way out of the cold, and into the cafeteria. There were only a couple girls in the corner, sipping hot chocolate and speaking rapidly. All three bought cheeseburgers and Cokes.

"So how've you two been? Why aren't you in California, Annabeth?"

Annabeth bit her lip. "I got expelled from school."

Thalia looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What kind of monster? What class?" She said, reading Annabeth's mind.

"Kindly One. Algebra III."

"Sweet."

Annabeth scowled at her.

"What about you, Percy, what have you been up to?"

Percy shook his head. "I had an uneventful first semester." He smirked.

"Lucky you." Annabeth said, taking a sip of her Coke.

After eating lunch, they walked back through the courtyard, and out to Percy's car.

"Alright," He said, quickly unlocking the door. "Call me as soon as you find out who she is. I wouldn't, like, pounce on her or anything. Get to know her first. Don't scare her away."

Thalia nodded, laughing. "We know, we know, Perce." She hugged him tightly. "Just hope she isn't as weird as you." She said, messing up his hair.

She started back into the dorm. Annabeth grabbed Percy's hands. "We'll make sure she stays safe." She promised, taking Percy into her arms.

"Be careful." He warned.

"I always am." And with that, she kissed him on the cheek, and started after Thalia.

* * *

_**Alright, there are a few things that I'd like to address: **_

_**1.) Please tell me what you think in complete honesty. I'm seriously debating whether or not I am going to pursue this story, so I need honest opinions.**_

_**2.) Thalia: I recently got into an argument with one of my friends on whether or not Thalia could choose to leave The Hunters. I said yes, but he disagreed. I researched in various places, and they all said that she could leave, and the only consequence would be the loss of her immortality. Feel free to leave your arguements in the reviews if you disagree, and if the response is overwhelming in my friend's favor, I will consider rewriting.**_

_**3.) If I have any majorly out of canon elements in the story from here on out, please tell me so that I can correct it.**_

_**Thanks a bundle :)  
Mary**_


	2. What Constitutes a Kidnapping

**Chapter Two:  
What Constitutes a Kidnapping**

* * *

"Percy!" A sharp voice yelled from the front of the classroom. Percy snapped up, and looked forward at his History teacher, Mrs. MacNeil.

"Yes ma'am," He said, apologetically.

"Percy Jackson, have you listened to a word I've said all class?"

"Yes ma'am."

In all honesty, Percy had not heard a word that she had said. However, since they were learning about Greek Mythology this week, he had slipped up, and allowed himself to daydream.

"Fine then. Tell me about Daedalus."

Percy smiled. "Daedalus was a demigod son of Athena. He had many brilliant inventions, but he is more infamous than anything else. He and his son, Icarus tested one of his inventions, a set of wings, one day. Icarus failed to heed his warning not to fly too high or too low, the wax holding them together melted, and he plummeted to his death. He killed his nephew, Pedrix, because there was talk that he would become a better inventor than his uncle. For this he was marked as a murderer by his mother, Athena. After all of this, he fled into the Labyrinth, another invention of his. Is that sufficient?" He said, smugly.

"Perfect," She said, surprised. "You've obviously studied."

"You have no idea."

It had been two weeks since he had found out that there was another child of Poseidon running around. He had talked to Thalia and Annabeth the night before. They hadn't had any luck finding Melissa. Nevertheless, Percy was going up to Madison that night, because they were both trying out for the school's fencing team and the tryouts were opened to spectators.

After the final school bell rang, Percy walked out to the parking lot, but he paused before getting into his car. There was somebody already sitting in it.

Percy opened the door, and sat in the driver's seat.

"Hey Nico," He said, raising an eyebrow.

Nico, the thirteen-year-old son of Hades was sitting in the passenger seat of Percy's truck. He had on his World War II jacket, baggy jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. His hair, long and black was pulled into a short ponytail. There was a long cut down the side of his face.

"Hey. Nice uniform," He said, sarcastically.

Percy looked down at his Goode High School uniform, and loosened the tie.

"Thanks… how did you know this was my truck?"

"Random sea shells in the back, sand permanently ingrained in the tires, a fishing hook hanging from the rearview mirror, parked outside your school. I did the math."

"Oh," Percy said, shaking his head, and starting the car.

"So, how's Annabeth?" Nico asked, buckling his seatbelt, and holding his hands in front of the heater.

"Great. Now why are you in my car?"

"Passing through town, thought I'd stop and say hello."

"That explains it," Percy gave up, shaking his head, and backing out of the parking space. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

Nico smiled mischievously. "If you're offering, could you drop me off at camp?"

"Why are you going to camp?" Percy asked, switching lanes, and turning on the radio.

Nico scratched his head. "Do you remember the manticore that took Annabeth?"

Percy clenched his teeth.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well, he resurrects faster than we would have thought, and he's after me. So, I Iris Messaged Chiron, and he told me to come down."

"Wait, why didn't you just Shadow Travel?" Percy asked, looking at his stowaway shortly.

"It takes a lot out of me," He said, defensively. "Plus, I get lonely."

"Whatever. Do me a favor- I think my phone is in the glove compartment. Grab it for me," Percy said. Nico did, and handed it to him. Percy dialed his mom's home phone number.

"Hello!" She sang on the other line.

"Hey mom. I am sorry; I'm going to be home late tonight. One of my friends, Nico, you remember from my birthday? He needs a ride up to camp."

His mom sounded concerned. "Are is he alright? Are you alright?"

"_Tell her I said hi!_" Nico said. "_Tell her_-" Percy waved him off.

"Yes, we're both fine, and he says hi."

Sally laughed. "Well, you can tell him I said hello too. So you're not going to be home for dinner hon?"

"I'm going to see Annabeth tonight, so I don't think I'll make it."

"Okay then. Give her and Thalia my love."

"Bye mom, love you."

"I love you too, Percy"

He hung up the phone, and put it in his pocket. "She said "Hello" back. There's some ambrosia in the glove compartment too, if you think it'll help that cut at all. Is that from the manticore?"

Nico nodded, and opened the glove compartment again. "It was the claws, though. Not the poison. I still haven't killed it," He took a little bit of the ambrosia, and popped it in his mouth.

They talked and drove until the reached the entrance to camp. "Are you going to come in?" Nico asked, getting out of the car.

"I don't think so," Percy said, checking his watch. "I promised Annabeth and Thalia I'd watch them fence."

Nico groaned, and held out his hand. "Suit yourself," He said, shaking Percy's hand. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime," Percy said, starting his truck again. "Just- _don't_ break in next time."

"No problem," He slammed the door, and started running down the hill.

It took Percy a little bit over an hour to get to Madison School. He was ten minutes later than he said he'd be, so the tryout had already begun. He sat on the bleachers with about five other guys, a few girls, and two teachers.

There were two girls fencing, two instructors watching and refereeing, and about eight girls sitting on a bench, in full fencing equipment. Percy could see that Thalia and Annabeth sitting on the right edge of the bench, because their hair was coming out in braids from under the helmets.

Percy raced down to the front row, and tapped them each on the shoulder.

"Hey, you're late, Seaweed Brain," Thalia said, raising her mask. Annabeth did the same.

"Sorry. Nico broke into my car after school, and I had to drive him to camp," Percy said, sitting down.

"Why did he do that?"

Percy shook his head. "I have no idea, he said he was lonely. But the manticore resurrected faster than we thought it would, and it was after him."

A bit of color faded from Annabeth's face. "The manticore? Dr. Thorn?"

Percy nodded, and put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine," He said. "Good luck, I'm going up where I can watch."

Percy went back up to his seat.

Two more pairs passed, and then Annabeth went up to the studio floor. She had far more talent and training than her opponent, and beat her quickly and skillfully.

The last couple was Thalia and a girl with long, straight, brown hair.

They fenced, and fenced, and fenced, but neither of the girls could get a hit in. Thalia was becoming increasingly agitated, and it was apparent. Thalia finally got the first hit in, but it was followed seconds later by a counter hit by the brunette girl. The other girl had absolutely no technique, but she was holding her own nonetheless.

It was remarkable to watch. The audience was disappointed when the coaches broke up the match. Thalia ripped off her helmet, and tucked it under her arm. Her face was shining with sweat, and she looked angry. Percy was afraid that instead of shaking the other girl's hand, she'd send a lightning bolt into her. The other girl took off her helmet, and shook Thalia's hand.

Suddenly Thalia's expression was unreadable. She walked back to the bench, and whispered something to Annabeth.

The coaches talked for a few minutes. "We can only take three girls onto the team," One said. "And you all did very well, but we've made our decision."

The other coach, with a clipboard smiled and said. "This year's Girls fencing team will be: Chase, Gail, and Robbins. We'd like a few word with them, but everyone else can leave."

Everyone stood up and cheered. Percy's jaw dropped as Annabeth and Thalia stood up, each shooting a look at him, and then walking up to the coaches.

"Sir," The coach with a clipboard said, looking at Percy.

The brunette girl who had faced Thalia turned around.

She had big green eyes.

Poseidon's eyes.

Percy's eyes.

"We'd like a private word with our fencers, if you don't mind."

Percy was just about out of the studio, when he heard one of the coaches begin to speak. "Now, Tanya Gail and Annabeth Chase are juniors, so that makes the fish, er, _freshman_, Melissa Robbins."

He was nearly positive that he had misheard. He stood directly outside the door, and uncapped Riptide.

"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Thalia asked.

The coach giggled. "Freshman?"

"No, you said something before that," Annabeth said, taking off her gloves, and fiddling with what Percy knew to be her holster for her knife.

"You said 'fish'," Melissa said, nervously.

The coach grabbed her arm. "Now you little-" Percy ran in.

"They're empousai!" He yelled, advancing quickly with his sword. The two women quickly changed. All of the color faded from their faces, and their legs changed- one was bronze, the other was that of a donkey.

Annabeth had produced her knife, and slashed the arm of the one holding Melissa it made her let go, but it had not killed her. "Thalia, take Melissa and run!" Percy yelled. "Annabeth and I can finish them."

Thalia grabbed Melissa's arm, and they raced outside. The empousai smiled.

"We still get two delectable half-bloods to ourselves. Not bad, not bad," She laughed.

Percy remembered back to when he had faced the empousai with Rachel. They were sensitive about their legs.

"You know what is bad," He said, "Whoever thought your legs matched. We're they blind?"

"Echhhh!" One empousa yelped. "It's not polite to make fun!" She turned her attention on Percy, and while she was distracted, Annabeth stuck her in the side. With another yelp, she collapsed into dust.

The other took off on its leathery wings, and flew up in the air. Percy spun around, but the empousa wasn't there. He looked around the room, to see her approaching on Annabeth. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled, as Annabeth turned around, and ducked under the empousa's arm.

Percy took this opportunity, and stabbed the empousa in the chest. She turned to dust.

There was a scream from outside, and the two broke off into a run. "So much for not springing this on her," Annabeth muttered.

Thalia was in the courtyard with Melissa, and they weren't alone. There were two more empousai. Melissa looked as though she wanted to help Thalia, but didn't know how. Instead, she was cowering behind a bench. "A little help?" Thalia yelled, as she kneed one of the empousai in the gut.

Annabeth and Percy ran into the fight. "Where are they all coming from?" Thalia groaned.

"We'll worry about it later!" Percy yelled, as he and Annabeth stabbed one at the same time.

"Nice shot," Thalia said, hurriedly. "Percy, give me your sword," Percy threw Riptide to her, then, in one smooth motion, Thalia spun to gain momentum, and then sliced through the empousa's neck. She turned to Melissa. "It's okay, they're gone," She said, gesturing for her to come out from behind the bench.

"We need to get her to camp," Annabeth concluded, breathlessly. "Now."

"Camp? What camp?" Melissa asked, frightened.

"You're going to have to come with us, Melissa," Thalia said. "You have to trust us."

Melissa bit her lip. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, but she nodded.

"Alright. I parked right over here," Percy said, leading the way.

Percy pulled his phone from his pocket. He hardly ever used his phone, and when he did, he only used it to call his mother or Paul. Only on occasion did he use it otherwise, when he couldn't reach Annabeth by Iris Message.

Right as he began to dial his mother's number, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Percy said, slowly.

"Are you alright? Is everyone okay?" He mother said, frantically on the other line.

"Yeah, mom. We are all okay. How'd you know there was trouble?"

"Your friend Rachel, she called. She said that she foresaw the attack while it was happening. She said she'd meet you at the Mess Hall. She said that she and Chiron would explain everything."

"I'll see you, mom," Percy said, apologetically.

"Stay safe, Percy. I love you."

Percy turned to the others, and explained the situation.

The atmosphere in the truck was extremely tense. Snow and hail were falling hard on the windshield, and visibility on the road was minimum. Thalia kept muttering in the back seat, something about her father 'being so over dramatic'. Annabeth was holding Percy's hand tightly as they drove. Melissa had stopped crying, but she was now staring out the window, into the night.

Annabeth tried to break tension, by looking into the back seat. "How are you doing, Melissa?" She asked, gently.

"I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I'm being kidnapped," She said, with her voice full of empty sarcasm.

"Does it count as kidnapping if it's for your own safety?" Thalia asked, with a slight laugh.

"Or is it still kidnapping if you're kidnapped by kids?" Percy added.

"Who are you guys?" Melissa asked, slowly. She wasn't amused.

"I'm Annabeth, and this is Percy and Thalia," She drew in a long breath. "We're like you, Melissa."

Melissa raised an eyebrow. "The monsters find you too?"

Percy looked at her in the rearview mirror. "The monsters find us too."

She looked at him, and their eyes met in the mirror. Melissa looked taken aback. "We have the same eyes," She said, slowly.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, we do. We'll explain at Camp. We're almost there."

Once they reached the boundary, Percy looked around. "Can I bring my car into camp, or will it like, implode if I do?"

Melissa's head jerked up. "What do you mean by implode?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I think we'll be alright."

"I'm really not comfortable with, you know, dying." Melissa said, frantically.

Thalia agreed with Annabeth. "We'll be fine."

Percy looked at her skeptically. "Are you positive?"

Thalia slapped him on the back of the head. "Of course I'm positive, Seaweed Brian. Go park by the lake."

They didn't implode. Percy parked by the dock, and the four teenagers walked down to the Mess Hall, where Chiron and Rachel were already seated. Chiron gestured for the all to sit down at the Hermes table.

"How are you all?" He said, as they took seats.

Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth nodded. "Okay," Thalia said, softly. Melissa was silent.

Rachel looked different. She was wearing a proper school uniform. She looked tired, and like she'd lost weight.

"I'm sure our new friend wondering what is going on," Chiron said, holding out his hand toward Melissa. "I am Chiron, and this is Camp Half-Blood, safe hold and training facility for Demigods."

Melissa stuttered. "So, everything those- those-"

"Satyrs," Rachel said, slowly.

"Everything the Satyrs said was true." She breathed in disbelief. "I thought they were just trying to trick me- like the monsters. So, who am I, really?"

Chiron stared at her, intently. "You are Melissa Robbins, daughter of Lord Poseidon."

"Poseidon, like, the Sea God?"

Chiron nodded. "Exactly."

"That's crazy," She muttered. "This is all crazy. Those myths, they're just stories. None of this can be real."

"We all thought that at first," Thalia said, leaning toward Melissa. "But you have to believe that it is true."

Annabeth took over. "There's a reason for everything that you are going through," She said. "You are dyslexic, correct?"

"H-how did you know that?"

"Because we also are. Our brains are hardwired to read Ancient Greek. All demigod's brains are. You've been diagnosed with ADHD, too."

Melissa nodded.

"Those are your heightened senses. They'll save you in a battle."

Annabeth looked to Percy, who cleared his throat, and turned to Melissa. "You can stay underwater for so long, it's like you don't need air," He said, with a gulp. "Being in the water feels more perfect than nearly anything else. It feels like home."

She looked at him in awe. "Do all-" She paused. "-demigods feel like that?"

"Just children of Poseidon," Rachel said, looking at Percy.

Melissa looked at Percy for a moment. He looked back at her. They had the same eyes- round and the same green color of the ocean. They also had the same nose and Percy had a feeling that as soon as they got Melissa cheered up a bit, that they had the same smile.

"So you're my- what- half brother?"

"Half brother," Percy said, nodding. "Rachel, what's going on with all of the monsters?"

Rachel sighed, and looked at Chiron.

"Well," She started. "Now that the battle is over, they have no allegiances, no duties- so they are breeding. When a Half-Blood discovers what they are, their scent grows stronger. There are so many being claimed, that the scent is stronger than ever, especially on the really powerful half-bloods, or children of The Big Three."

Chiron picked up where she left off. "So we've been trying to get as many of the newly claimed demigods back here, so we can at least give them a basic training before sending them back. I think that the situation will even out in time. You can relax for right now." He glanced around the room. "But, I do think we've had enough excitement for one night. Percy, you wouldn't mind showing Melissa to Cabin Number Three?"

All of the campers left from the Mess Hall. Thalia diverged to her cabin immediately, claiming that she was about to fall asleep where she stood.

"This is where we- the children of Poseidon stay," Percy said, pushing open the cabin door. It was just as he had left it- the fountain trickling in the corner, the walls glowing like abalone, and Tyson's 'fish ponies' dancing on the ceiling.

"There are six beds. Do we have other siblings?"

Percy smiled. "Only one other that I know of. His name is Tyson."

"Oh." She said, softly. "Are you positive we're safe here?"

Percy nodded. "Completely."

Melissa wasn't up for a lot of talking. She laid down in one of the beds, and fell fast asleep. Percy couldn't blame her. She'd had a rough night.

Percy slipped from the cabin, and walked down the shoreline. Annabeth and Rachel were sitting on the dock, despite the cold, so Percy joined them.

Rachel was having a laughing fit. Annabeth looked severely annoyed.

She grabbed Percy's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"What is it?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She warned be to watch out for my roommate, _Jane_."

Percy's eyes opened wide. "Why? Is she a monster or something?"

Annabeth scowled. "No. Worse."

"What's worse than that?"

"Rachel says that she likes you."

Percy gave a snort of laughter, and then looked back at Annabeth, who was looking at him angrily.

"Not funny at all," He said through a laugh.

"How did you see us tonight, Rachel? And the things about Jane?" Annabeth asked, curiously.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure yet," She breathed, as if it had been on her mind, too. "I'm still trying to fully figure out how this gift works. Maybe it's because I feel a little protective of you guys."

After they sat for a few minutes, Rachel declared that it was far too cold for her to be sitting outside in 'a stupid, stupid plaid school skirt' and headed off the bed.

Percy put his arm around Annabeth, and held her closely. She curled up close to him, and hugged him around his waist. "Did you know that you are really warm?" She asked, calmly.

A wave crash against the dock, but Percy's abilities kept them both dry from the wave and the snow.

Percy kissed the top of Annabeth's snowflake covered head. She shivered, and held him tighter. "Do you-" Percy began asking, not wanting to stay outside if she was cold.

She cut him off. "I didn't shiver because I'm cold, Seaweed Brain," She said, rolling her eyes before settling back into his arms.

Percy rubbed her arm. "And here I thought we were going to have an boring year," He sighed. "But I guess that just can't happen."

Annabeth looked up at him. "Not for us," She smiled. "Come on. I'll race you back to the cabins."

They jumped up, and ran through the snow. One minute, Annabeth was a few steps behind Percy, the next, she wasn't. Percy spun around to seen her sitting on the ground. He rushed back to her. "Are you alright?" He asked, nervous that she had slipped on the ice.

"Yeah. Just help me up," She said, wincing. Percy held out his hand to assist her. She gripped it tightly, but instead of getting up, she pulled him to the ground, and took off running away herself. By the time that Percy reached the cabins, Annabeth was leaning against her cabin door, pretending to yawn. "What took you so long?" She said, smiling.

Percy walked over to her, crossed his arm, and tapped his foot. "Cheater."

She smiled, and put her arms around his neck. She gave him a very quick kiss on the lips. "All's fair in love and war, Seaweed Brain." She subsequently disappeared into her cabin.

One word was swimming in Percy's head on his walk back to his cabin.

_Love. Love. Love. _

_**

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**_

_**I'm not postive if I like this chapter. Tell me what you think. I really would like reviews!**_

_**Love,  
Mary :)**_

_**

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**_

**Preview of Next Chapter:  
Chapter Three: Melissa Discovers Exactly How Crazy the World Is.**

**- "One of the Aphrodite girls spoke up in a pronounced New Jersey accent. "Um, how long have you guys been at this camp, if he, like, can't even remember your names?"**

**Percy put his hands in his pockets. "Five summers."**

**Annabeth ran a hand over her necklace, playing with her father's ring. "Eleven years."**

**Thalia was biting her lip, and then seemingly gave up. "Somewhere between six and fourteen years. Depending on how you look at life." She said, finally."**


	3. Melissa Discovers How Crazy The World Is

**Chapter Three:  
Melissa Discovers How Crazy the World Is.  
**

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Percy woke up the next morning to a knocking on the door.

The loud knocks woke Melissa up too.

"Hey," She said, tiredly, rubbing her eyes.

"Good Morning," Percy said, getting out of bed, and walking over to the door. He pulled it open, and Annabeth stepped in. She was holding a large, stuffed pillowcase. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning," She said, her face flushed from the cold. "How are you, Melissa?"

"Still quite positive that I'm dreaming," She responded. "But better."

Annabeth nodded, and then turned her attention to Percy. "You've heard the phrase 'Don't shoot the messenger', right?" She said, wrinkling her nose.

Percy looked at her. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not, but I think I should tell you anyway."

"Alright, if you say so."

"Thalia, Travis, and Connor took your truck this morning," She said, wincing a bit.

Melissa giggled, and then slapped her hand over her mouth.

"They what?" Percy said, his voice rising.

"Thalia wanted to go back to the school and get our armor and weapons and some other stuff so that Jane wouldn't find them."

"So she took my car?"

"In her defense, it was Travis who hotwired it, and I'm pretty sure that it was Connor's idea."

Percy put his head in his hands and groaned. "Chiron let them leave?"

Annabeth sighed. "I guess he said that it wasn't a huge risk. That they would be able to handle themselves."

"Why didn't you stop them?"

Annabeth put her hand on her hip. "You really think that I would've let them steal your car if I had been awake? Please, Seaweed Brain. I just found out. Relax. They brought it back in one piece."

"Why does that statement not comfort me what so ever?"

"Because it's covered in mud."

Percy wanted to yell, but instead, he paced. "When's the next capture the flag game? I'm going to kill them."

"That's against the rules and you know it. No maiming either," Annabeth laughed.

"Fine. I'll cause them as much physical pain as Chiron will allow. I'll get back at them somehow."

"That's my boy," Annabeth said, with a grin. "Anyway, the real reason I came over her was to deliver these toiletries that I stole for you guys, and to tell you that Thalia and I are leading a tour of the camp for the new kids at eight if you would like come along. Percy, you can help lead it. Meet at the Big House," She handed the pillowcase to Percy.

Melissa nodded, and Percy turned to Annabeth. "Alright. We'll be there."

Annabeth quickly left.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Melissa asked, taking the pillowcase from Percy, and digging through it.

"Yeah," He said. "And best friend."

"That's nice." She said, sitting cross-legged on her bunk. "Who's kid is she?"

"Athena."

Percy was glad that she was accepting everything a little more this morning.

"And Thalia, the girl who took you car…" She said, looking into the toiletry bag, "She was with you when you came to save me. Who's daughter is she?"

"Zeus."

"Whoa."

Percy laughed, and walked over to one of the trunks, which laid in front of each bed. "The trunks should have a fresh set of clothes in them." He explained. "Most people just wear jeans and the camp t-shirt. Grab some clothes, and I'll show you where the showers are." He said.

They two embarked from the cabin, and the camp already looked livelier than the night before. There were a few year-rounders running around, getting ready for their activities. Percy showed her where the girl's bathrooms were, and then he went and got ready himself.

They met back outside the restrooms, and they started for the Big House.

"Now, we're going to the Big House." Percy explained, slowly. "So you are probably going to meet Mr. D. I'm just giving you a heads up now. If he says anything bad to you, it is really not your fault. We aren't the best of pals, and he'll probably hate you by association."

She threw her hair up into a ponytail. "Lovely." She said, with a small grin on her face.

Percy had been right- they did have the same smile.

When they reached the Big House, there was a small crowd around the stairs. At the front of the group was Thalia and Annabeth were leaning against the railing. Percy joined them, whilst Melissa joined the new campers. Percy could already recognize a few of them. Twin sister who were without a doubt daughters of Aphrodite, a bigger kid who looked like he could be a child of Ares, and a small boy with blond hair, and grey eyes, exactly like Annabeth. There were three others, and Percy guessed that they were all either children on Apollo or Hermes.

Thalia smiled at Percy when he leaned up against the rail. She narrowed her eyes, evilly. "It drives great." She said, "Thanks Perce."

With that, she turned to the new Half-Bloods.

"Hey everyone!" She said, with a huge smile on her face. "As you know, we're going to give you a tour of camp." She continued on, giving a brief history of the camp, and who had passed through it. She sounded a little bit like one of the overly perky tour guide that you might encounter at a museum. It was amazing how charming Thalia could be when she wasn't electrocuting you, stealing your car, or being blatantly rude.

About halfway through her story, Mr. D. walked through the front door. He instantly looked as if he wished that he hadn't.

"Oh. New campers." He murmured. He inspected them all for a moment. "Any of you know how to play Pinochle?" He asked, gruffly. The new campers exchanged looks with one another, and with Mr. D., who looked mildly disappointed. "Oh well. I'll leave you in the doubtfully capable hands of Tina, Peter, and Annabelle."

He looked through the crowd once more, and his eyes settled on Melissa. "Another one," He mumbled disdainfully, before walking back into the house.

Annabeth clapped her hands together. "and that is Mr. D, he runs the camp," She explained.

"And contrary to popular belief, I'm Percy, and this is AnnaBETH, and Thalia." He said, putting extra emphasis on their names.

One of the Aphrodite girls spoke up in a pronounced New Jersey accent. "Um, how long have you guys been at this camp, if he, like, can't even remember your names?"

Percy put his hands in his pockets. "Five summers."

Annabeth ran a hand over her necklace, playing with her father's ring. "Eleven years."

Thalia was biting her lip, and then seemingly gave up. "Somewhere between two and eleven years. Depending on how you look at life." She said, finally.

"That makes no sense," The Ares boy said, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it," Thalia said harshly, dropping the tour guide persona.

With that, they started walking off toward the stables. The new campers freaked out over the Pegasi. As they passed, Percy grabbed Melissa by the arm.

"Hold on a second," He said, "I want to show you something."

They walked closer to the stables, and into the stall of Percy's favorite Pegasus, Blackjack.

"_Woah, Boss! Long-time no see, eh?"_

Melissa looked at Percy in disbelief. "What the heck was that?" She said, with eyes wide opened.

"Poseidon created horses from the sea foam," Percy said. "As his kids, we can communicate with them."

"_He's right you know, Chief." _

Melissa reached out, rubbing Blackjack's nose, softly. "This is all crazy," She said, making eye contact with the Pegasus.

"_It's a crazy world, Chief." _

"Alright, Blackjack, we need to meet up with the rest of the tour group now," Percy said, patting his side, as they turned to walk away.

_"Kay, Boss. And if it's not too much trouble, some sugar cubes? Chiron's got me on a diet, and, well…"_

"What's with the nicknames? Boss, Chief?" Melissa giggled, as they rejoined the group.

Percy shook his head. "They all do that," He said, before rejoining Annabeth in the front.

They trekked by the Armory, through the Arena, and then to the lake. Percy's truck was sitting exactly where it had been, but the bottom half was covered in a heavy layer of mud.

"And, here, campers, is a new Camp Half-Blood favorite. The Kelp-Mobile," Thalia said, with an ear-to-ear grin. All of the new campers began laughing and jeering when they saw Percy's distressed face. Annabeth looked caught in between sympathy for Percy, and a strong desire to laugh because it _was_ Percy.

"Thalia," Percy said, a brilliant idea suddenly popping into his head, which would probably get him killed afterward. "You picked the absolute worst place possible to bring that up."

And seconds later, Thalia was covered in freezing water.

Annabeth either laughed or gasped and covered her mouth.

Melissa's eyes were wide, staring at Percy.

Everyone else was either completely silent, or refusing to look at either of them.

To their surprise, Thalia looked at her feet, shaking her now dripping head. "I completely deserved that," She sighed, with a small laugh. "Truce?" She said, holding out her hand.

Percy, being stupid, took her hand. He was greeted instantly by a sharp, shooting jolt of electricity throughout his body. "You are so lucky that you're my friend, Thalia," He said, in a low voice so nobody except she or Annabeth could hear him. "Or else I'd personally make sure you got trampled by a herd of zebra."

Annabeth finally gave into laughter.

Thalia laughed spitefully. "Time and place, Seaweed Brain. Time and place."

The rest of the tour was uneventful compared to that.

The tour ended in the Mess Hall, where they all ate lunch.

The wood nymphs began to serve food as they always did. Melissa looked extremely eager, and she kept playing with her silverware. "Alright over there?" Percy said from across the table.

She put her fork down. "I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday," She said, steadily. "I'm starved."

The nymphs dropped platters of food off at the table, Percy looked at her, feeling a mix of amusement and pity. "You're going to need to wait another minute." He said, making his plate.

They lined up in front of the hearth, and watched as the other campers started scraping bits of their food into it, and saying quiet prayers to their parents.

"Gods like the smell of the smoke." Percy explained, as they approached the front.

"Poseidon." Percy said, scraping two bread rolls into the flames.

_Hope things are good down in the ocean. Tell Tyson I said hello. _He added, silently.

Melissa stepped forward. "Poseidon." She said, accidentally scraping all of her food into the fire.

She turned away, looking severely disappointed.

"Don't worry, there's still more on the table." Percy whispered. "But I think that that move just pretty much confirmed that we are related."

As soon as she had reloaded her plate, and Chiron did his toast _("To the Gods!"),_ she began to scarf it all down.

"Slow down," He laughed. "You don't even have anything to drink yet."

She looked into her cup, and swallowed. "Where can I fill-" She started. Percy held his hand up. "Just tell the cup what you want. Anything you want." He said, with a grin. To his day, he still was slightly amazed at the cups.

She thought for a minute- "Cherry Coke," and sure enough, her cup filled with Cherry Coke.

Percy picked up his own glass, and spoke. "Blue Cherry Coke." He said, taking a sip as it filled.

"Blue?" She asked, with her mouth full. "Explain."

"Long version or short version?" He asked, taking a bite of his own food.

"Well, considering we're living together for who knows how long, I guess we should get to know each other. Long version."

Percy told Melissa all about Smelly Gabe, and how his mother had married him only so his scent would mask Percy's from the monsters. He continued with how awful Gabe had been to his mother, and how his mother never let it show to him.

"And one time, he told her that there was no such thing as blue food. So from then on, my mom became a little obsessed with proving him wrong. Hence, blue food."

"Your mom sounds amazing," Melissa smiled, perhaps a bit wistfully.

Percy nodded. "She's the best."

She held up her cup. "To Blue Cherry Coke," She said, her glass turning blue. Percy held his up on response.

"So, do people always stay completely restricted to their parent's tables?" She asked, looking around the pavilion.

"Yeah, well, it's the rules," He said, taking a bite of his food.

"What happens if you sit at someone else's table?" She sounded curious.

Percy tilted his head to the side. "You know- I'm not sure. Annabeth sat here once, but it was kind of an emergency, so I don't think it counted," He said, glancing over to the Athena table quickly.

"Emergency?" She asked, her eyebrows narrowing a bit.

Percy thought for a moment. "I'll tell you later on, maybe after classes and stuff if you're not too tired."

"Classes?"

Percy nodded, pushing his plate aside. "Besides keeping the Half-Bloods safe, the camp is used to teach us how to defend ourselves. The classes are taught by counselors." He said, leaning across the table, so as not to be heard by anyone else. "Look over at the Ares table. See the big blonde girl? That's Clarisse La Rue. She'll be instructing the Sword fighting class. Watch out for her. She has it out for me."

"Jeez, Percy!" Melissa smiled. "Who at this camp haven't you pissed off?"

Percy shook his head and blinked. "I guess I'm not a people person," He said, running a hand over his hair. He quickly listed the other people who would most likely be running the classes

"Er- Percy?" She said, suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"I think that the scary looking kid sitting alone over there is trying to get your attention."

Percy turned in the direction that she indicated. Nico was sitting alone, at the new Hades table, waving his arms frantically. Once he realized that Percy was watching, he stopped.

Once lunch was over, Percy and Melissa started off toward the exit. Nico caught up with them immediately.

"Hey." He said, as he caught up to the two. "Since when do you have a sibling?"

"Yeah." Percy said, as they kept walking. "Um, Melissa, this is Nico. Nico- Melissa. He's a son of Hades."

Melissa smiled. "Hi." She said, extending her hand.

"It is _very_ nice to meet you." Nico said, shaking her hand, and beaming brightly. "Are you guys going to Sword fighting?" Percy nodded. "That'll be an experience, huh? Clarisse teaching?"

"You're not kidding." Percy said, with a grin, as they made their way across the camp, to the Arena, where Sword and Shield class was held. They were having the class with the Athena cabin. Since there were so few children of the Big Three, they were often grouped with another cabin for Camp activities.

The campers who had left early from lunch sat down, scattered across the many benches.

Annabeth and Thalia joined soon after.

Clarisse finally came in, and she rested her elbow on the weapons rack. "This is the first class for how many of you?" She snarled, in an effort to sound intimidating.

Melissa and the small boy from the tour raised their hands.

"Ah, Fresh meat." She said, rubbing her hands together. "Introduce yourselves quick, so we don't have to deal with it again. Start with you, blondie."

"Um- I'm Adam." Said the small, blonde boy, who was sitting next to a much larger boy from the Athena cabin.

"And you?" Clarisse said, raising an eyebrow at Melissa, who didn't look very intimidated.

"Melissa." She said, slowly, her green eyes careful and calculating.

"Who do you belong to?"

"Lord Poseidon." Melissa said, careful not to break the steady gaze that she was holding.

Percy noticed a look of brief interest flash through Clarisse's eyes, which was instantly dulled.

"Alright. Today, we'll be covering basic offensive and defensive tactics with your chosen length weapons." She said. "Short blade fighters- go to the far side of the arena." She said as Thalia, a few of the Athena campers stood up, including Annabeth stood up.

"And maybe the Princess and the Pine Tree could run some drills until I got over there?" She said, demanded rather that asked.

Annabeth and Thalia both snorted in unison, but the continued over to the other side, nonetheless.

Clarisse turned to the remaining campers. "Alright. So you all are with me." She said, inspecting them. "How many of you have your own sword?" She asked. Nico, Percy, and several of the older campers raised their hands or blades.

"Alright, well, if you don't, come see me, and we'll try to find something quick." She said, boredly. "Everyone else, partner off. Newbies, you're with me."

Percy partnered with Malcolm, the second in command after Annabeth for the Athena Cabin. Nico was beside them with his partner. He uncapped Riptide, and they began practicing the maneuver that Clarisse explained.

As Percy was warming up, he managed to keep one eye on Melissa. Clarisse was explaining the maneuver that everyone else was already practicing. However, once they got into the fight, he had to focus his attention solely on his opponent. Malcolm was a good swordsman. He, being a son of Athena, was better at strategizing and predicting Percy's moves. Percy however, was faster, and had better reflexes.

Clarisse tapped Nico and his partner to take a break before she allowed Percy and Malcolm to. By the smug smile on her face, Percy knew that it was just to irritate him.

The campers slowly made their way to the water cooler, Percy and Malcolm being very near to the last. A few of the short blade fighters were still going.

Percy sat on the ground, cross-legged in beside Nico and Malcolm.

He took a much-needed sip of water…

"You know your sister is kind of hot." Nico blurted out towards Percy.

…And he nearly spit it out.

Malcolm grinned from the other side of him. "Nico, that's not something you just tell a guy."

"I'm just making a statement." He said, looking around the arena. "Clarisse is still making her and the Adam kid fight. She'll probably be making them for a good while longer." He observed, looking to the middle of the arena, where Clarisse was shouting instructions at the two very tired campers.

Annabeth and Thalia sat down behind the boys after getting a drink of water.

"You know," Annabeth said, resting her chin on Percy's shoulder. "Melissa reminds me a little bit of you, Seaweed Brain. When you first got to camp. She's a good fighter, she just needs to find her weapon."

With this, Percy had an epiphany. He jumped up, and ran over to the middle of the arena. He pulled Anaklusmos from her pocket, and uncapped it. "Hold on, Clarisse," He said, intruding on her 'lesson'.

"What the heck-?" She said, began.

Percy waved her off. "I want you to try this," He said intently to Melissa, taking up her sword.

"W-what?" She said, with shaking hands.

"Try this," He repeated. "Don't hold back. You won't hurt me. I promise."

Melissa drew Riptide back, and then slashed it through the air. Percy dodged and deflected with Melissa's sword, which felt rather weird, unbalanced and light. After about thirty seconds, Melissa dropped Riptide. "Too heavy," She panted, out of breath. "Sorry, Perce."

After the class, they stayed in the arena, with no luck. They tried nearly every one of Clarisse's borrowed swords, with no avail.

They were stumped.

Malcolm, (Who Percy was convinced wouldn't leave unless he solved this himself-), Thalia, Annabeth, and Clarisse sat on the bench, with their elbows on their knees, and their heads in their hands. They watched as sword after sword failed, and Percy finally drew in a breath, and fell to the ground.

"Maybe I'm just not a sword fighter," Melissa said, sitting on the ground beside him.

"Yeah, Annabeth. Maybe you were wron-"

"Don't say it," Annabeth cut Percy off, looking at him fiercely. "There are still hundreds of swords in the armor-"

This time, Annabeth was cut off.

"She's not going to try a hundred different swords," Clarisse barked. "That's stupid. Don't you have a brother, the freak, he makes weapons and stuff doesn't he?"

"Tyson isn't a freak." Percy said, looking at Clarisse.

"Have you looked at him?"

"Yeah, and he's more attractive than you."

"Why- I- Oughta-"

A shouting match ensued. It continued until Thalia stood up, and weaseled her way in between them. It must have been quite humorous by some means. Percy and Clarisse were both at least seven inches taller than Thalia. But he was too angry to notice.

"I have an idea," She said, resolutely, pushing the two apart. "Maybe she's just a short blade fighter. Smarter, faster, you know." She drew one of the hunting knives from her belt, one that she had received as a hunter of Artemis, but hardly used anymore. "Try this, Mel."

Melissa looked at Percy. She bit her lip, and drew the long hunting knife.

The next thing that Percy knew, he had been slashed across the arm.

It was a weird feeling, being cut when invulnerable. He didn't bleed, and it didn't hurt. There was just a dull, tingling sensation where he knew that it _should_ hurt, it just didn't.

Everyone gasped except Percy and Annabeth.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Melissa said, anxiously, looking frantic and concerned.

"It's okay. I told you I'd be fine."

"Percy! How are you okay?" Malcolm questioned.

"She must've missed me." He lied.

"But your shirt is cut." Thalia said.

"Eh, He's resilient." Annabeth laughed.

Everyone looked at her. Percy smiled. He liked that she knew his secret, and hardly anyone else did.

"Well, it looks like we found your weapon." Thalia said, smugly. "Am I good, or am I good? You can keep that, Melissa." She said, when Melissa tried offering her the knife back.

* * *

_There was a little girl in the corner, probably eight or nine years old. She was shivering, shaking, wearing a pair of overlarge ripped up blue jeans and a thin and threadbare t-shirt. Her hair was matted and tangled, but hidden under a plain, blue baseball cap. The bottom of her jeans looked singed._

_She was sitting in the dark, and the only light in the tiny room was a bit of moonlight, streaming through the blinds on the window._

_Then, a large and frazzled-looking woman walked in, and started yelling at her._

_"What the hell were you thinking?" The woman yelled at the girl, who was only reduced to further cowering._

_"I don't know! It wasn't my fault!" The little girl cried. "I don't know how the fire started! One minute there was a man, and the next, he was gone, and there was fire!"_

_The woman drew back her hand, and smacked the small girl's face, with a sickening thump. "You filthy liar! How stupid do you think I am?"_

_The little girl mumbled something unintelligible._

_"WHAT did you just say to me?" The woman shrieked. "Grounded. Two weeks. No leaving this room. For anything." With that, she slammed the door, and walked out._

_The little girl stifled a sob. She then walked to the small dresser in the room, packed what seemed to be everything into a rucksack, and then escaped through the window onto a fire escape, without a second glance._

_The scene changed._

_The girl was wearing the same clothes that she had been wearing in the last scene, but this time, she was sitting in a busy, cluttered, office-like room. There was a sign on the wall that read 'Boston Department of Social Services.' Her cheek was swollen and bruised. The man sitting across form her shook his head, and looked at her._

_"What's your name, kid?" He asked._

_She didn't speak._

_"You don't want to tell me?" He asked._

_"I don't want to be placed in another home." She responded sharply._

_"You're in the Foster System?" He asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"You could say that." She said, removing her cap. On the interior brim of the cap, there were several surnames._

_Marshall_

_Simpson_

_Williams_

_Andrews_

_She showed the man, who looked at her once again, before typing some things into the computer._

_"How old are you?" He asked, scratching the side of his poorly shaven face._

_"Nine." She responded, placing the cap back onto her head._

_"You've got a awful temper for nine." He said, clicking something on the desktop._

_"Hey, they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I've fallen from a few sucky trees."_

_"Smart mouth too!"_

_She crossed her arms, and sat back in the chair._

_A look of disappointment and pity grew on the man's face._

_"You know we'll have to place you again," He said._

_The girl sighed, and nodded._

_Once again, the scene changed._

_It was about two years later, and the girl's life seemed to have transformed significantly. She was sitting in a huge bedroom, with a huge window, and expensive looking furniture throughout it._

_She was wearing a catholic school uniform. Her hair was braided, and she looked nice, clean. But she still looked miserable. The only thing out of place in her appearance was the blue baseball cap, worn and battered._

_She slung a backpack over her shoulder, and walked down a grand staircase at the center of the house. There was a woman sitting at a marble countertop, reading the newspaper, and sipping some tea. She looked important, like a high-powered executive or something._

_"Goodbye Sandra," The girl said, passing through the kitchen. "I'm going to school."_

_The woman didn't respond to her._

_"I'm going to stay after; I got in a fight in the bathroom, and all of the water pipes burst. They somehow blamed it on me. I have detention."_

_The woman didn't say anything. She just turned the page of her paper._

_"I'm thinking about running away. You wouldn't mind, would you?"_

_The woman didn't respond to her. The girl groaned loudly, and turned away to walk out the door._

_"Oh! Did you say something dear?" The woman said, lazily, looking up from the paper. She saw the girl leaving through the doorway, shrugged, and looked back to the paper._

_The scene changed again._

_Then the girl was on a bus. She looked out the window, and a sign said 'New York City, 10 Miles."_

_There was a rather official looking woman sitting beside her, with a briefcase in her lap._

_The girl, now into her early teens, took out her hat, and looked under the brim. She pulled a magic marker from her bag,_

_Marshall_

_Simpson_

_Williams_

_Andrews_

_Winter_

_Carson_

_Dole_

_She then added another name, and put the hat back on her head._

_The final scene was a few years later._

_He saw the girl- a little older, maybe just a few months, sitting in an office, not unlike the first. She looked angry, but her eyes betrayed her. She was frightened. Extremely frightened. Her arms were folded, and her dark hair hung low underneath her hat._

_"What happened this time?" The social worker said, skimming through a file that was packed with papers, which seemed in sincere danger of ripping._

_"My teacher tried to kill me," The girl said, removing her hat, and staring into her lap. "She grew fangs, and wings, and-"_

_The social worker snapped. "Enough with the lies, Melissa!" She yelled, softening instantly when she saw the pained expression on the girl's face. "I'll find you another home, hun, but if you get into any more trouble, it'll be a detention center."_

_Melissa nodded, in defeat._

* * *

Percy woke with a start.

He glanced across the dark cabin. Melissa was in her bunk, peacefully asleep. He almost could not believe that she was the girl from his dream.

**

* * *

**

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading :)  
I have finals coming up soon, and I don't know how often I'll update.  
I'll try to get another one up sometime next week.**

**Oh, and reviews would be so immensely appreciated, it's crazy.  
I'd like at least five for this chapter. Is that too much to ask? lol.**

**The action should pick up a bit next chapter :)**

**You all are great!**

**Mary :):)**


	4. Family Reunions Tend to Suck

**Chapter Three  
Family Reunions Tend to Suck  
****---**

Percy noticed many things about Melissa in the first three weeks that they were at camp.

On the day that Thalia, Travis, and Connor had stolen Percy's car to retrieve the weapons and armor from Madison, Thalia also brought back some of Melissa's things. She almost never parted with her hat- the blue one that had all of her foster homes written in the brim. When she wasn't wearing it, it was in her back pocket.

He also noticed that in three weeks, she'd picked up a few of Annabeth and Thalia's 'finer' characteristics, such as rolling her eyes at about ninety percent of whatever Percy said, ganging up on him, and, of course, turning away, and muttering "Seaweed Brain" under her breath. Percy neglected to point out how hypocritical _her_ calling _him _Seaweed Brain was.

He picked up quickly that she didn't like to be called nicknames. She didn't like 'Lissa' or 'Missy'. She greatly detested 'Fishface', the nickname that Clarisse tried and failed to institute. She liked to be called Melissa. 'Mel' if it was completely necessary. That's it.

But the most important thing that Percy noticed was how well that the two of them got along. There were often fights among the siblings in the other cabins. The Aphrodite girls fought over mirrors and makeup and who was most attractive. Annabeth and Malcolm got in frequent academic quarrels, arguments over who was right, and who was wrong. And the Ares kids, forget it. Clarisse would start a fight if she thought that someone else was breathing her air.

Percy and Melissa were different though. They were both avid users of sarcasm, Percy often forgot to use his brain, and they had conflicting views on professional sports. (Percy, being a New Yorker his whole life, was naturally a Yankees fan. Melissa was from Boston. Enough said.) They did bicker at times, but their arguments never ended at knifepoint, like the Ares cabin's did, and they didn't have nearly as many disagreements as the other cabins.

It may have been because they were so much alike. They both enjoyed swimming (obviously), pepperoni pizza, and they had been kicked out of the same number of schools. They were also both extremely messy. Their cabin had come in last all three weeks of inspection.

"Well, I guess the Poseidon Cabin just can't be orderly without Tyson," Katie, from the Demeter Cabin said disapprovingly when it was her day to check them. With that, she shook her head, and left.

Melissa glanced at Percy before collapsing onto one of the bunks. She then diverted her attention to a t-shirt that was lying on the ground. It looked like she was having an internal struggle between picking it up, and leaving it on the mulch that their cabin floor was becoming. "Tyson is our half brother, right?"

Percy nodded, also staring at the t-shirt. "Yeah."

"Is he going to come at all this summer?" She asked, pulling on her shoes.

"Probably," Percy said, finally caving in, and picking up the shirt, and putting it a hamper for the Cleaning Harpies to pick up later. "You'll love him. He's a really great guy."

"What's he like?" She asked, following suit, and throwing a pair of jeans into the hamper.

"Um, he's very tall, and he likes peanut butter," Percy began, straightening the sheets on his bed. "He does great impressions, and he loves Annabeth."

Melissa giggled loudly. "That must run with the males in the family." She said, causing Percy to blush, and turn away.

"He's also a Cyclops, so he is an awesome blacksmith, and he has one eye."

Melissa dropped the sneaker in her hand. "Like, a real Cyclops?" She said, staring at Percy.

"Like a real Cyclops." Percy said. "It's a surprise for most people," He added easily, with a grin.

"That's really cool." She said, putting on the sneaker, and tying her shoe. "Can I ask you a couple questions, Percy?" as she pulled her legs up onto the bed.

He nodded in response. "Shoot."

"I was just wondering about a few things. Well, a lot of things. On my first full day here, you said something about Annabeth sitting with you because it was an emergency. Then, you said you'd explain later. But you never did. And everyone here seems to have a strange respect for you. Even Thalia and Clarisse, and they don't respect easily. And speaking of Thalia, what's her deal? The whole not knowing how long I've been here story she always throws around? What happened to all of you guys?" She asked, taking sparingly few breaths.

Percy ran a hand through his hair, and sat down on the bunk facing Melissa's. "That's a lot of questions." He said, exhaling. "I guess you should hear it from me, before rumors and camp stories start to get around."

Melissa nodded, and stared at him for a moment. "Okay then." She said.

"I guess it all started with the old oracle," He said. "It was predicted, that a demigod child, one of the Big Three, would make a decision that would either preserve or destroy Olympus when they turned sixteen. Around that time, it was a pact was made that the Big Three would no longer be allowed to produce with mortals, because the children were to powerful."

"Sorry to interrupt, but why are we here, then?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "And Thalia, and Nico?"

"All rules are meant to be broken," Percy responded. "And Nico is a different story. Entirely."

Melissa just nodded, confused- but accepting his answer.

"Anyway, Zeus was the first to break the pact. That was about twenty-one years ago. He had a kid with an actress." Percy looked at Melissa.

"Fast forward about twelve years, Zeus' kid ran away from home. On her way she met up with another half-blood, who was a little older than her. He was a son of Hermes. They became very good friends, or maybe more. I don't really know. Anyway, they wandered around together for a bit, trying to avoid monster attacks. In their travels, they came across a Annabeth, who was only six or seven at the time. She had run away from home, too. Finally, they met a satyr, who lead them to Camp Half-Blood." He said, taking a deep breath, and continuing.

"When they were about to reach camp, there was an attack. One of Hades monsters was angered that his brother had broken the pact. The four would've escaped the monster, too- but there was also a Cyclops, that slowed them down. The little girl bought them some time by stabbing the Cyclops, but it was no good. Finally, the daughter of Zeus decided to sacrifice herself to let her friends escape. She was nearly killed. Zeus took pity on her, and turned her into a tree- the tree that guards Camp Half-Blood."

He looked at Melissa, about to ask if she had questions, but instead she put a hand up. "Thalia is the tree. I get it. Don't stop. Keep telling the story," She prompted eagerly.

"Alright. Some of that doesn't come back in until later on, so just remember it," Percy said. "Anyway, this is where I come into the story. I had a few problems with the Kindly Ones, and it ended with me fighting the Minotaur, thinking my mom was dead, and getting knocked unconscious right at the camp border. I was nursed back to health by Annabeth." Melissa raised an eyebrow.

"That year, Zeus' bolt was stolen, and the majority of the gods thought that I did it. I was granted a quest, and set off with Grover, the satyr from the first part of the story, and Annabeth. We had to find the bolt to prove my innocence and prevent the gods from going to war. We found the bolt and resolve the majority of the issue with the gods, but then we found out that the bolt was stolen by Luke- the son of Hermes from the first part. He stole it for Kronos- the Leader of the Titans."

Melissa just nodded, and looked for a second like she would hit him if he didn't finish. "Then, the next summer, Luke poisoned Thalia's tree. We had to find the Golden Fleece in order to save it. Annabeth, Tyson, and I went on the quest to save the fleece, and Grover, who had been captured by Polyphemus. When the quest was completed, the Golden Fleece was placed on Thalia's tree. Only it worked too well- instead of just healing the tree of it's poison, it brought Thalia back. The next winter, Thalia, Annabeth, and I met Grover at a boarding school to find two new half-bloods- Bianca and Nico DiAngelo. But a manticore captured Annabeth in the process, and we were forced to leave and come back here. Bianca immediately chose to become a Huntress of Artemis, meaning she would be immortal. Lady Artemis went missing, almost immediately after that."

He paused briefly. "Any questions?"

She threw a pillow at him.

"Thalia, Zoë Nightshade, who was another huntress, Bianca, and Grover set off on a quest for Artemis. They wouldn't allow me to go with them, so I snuck out. I didn't really know it then, but I didn't care much about the quest. I just needed to find Annabeth. About halfway in, we lost Nico's sister. When we found Annabeth and Artemis, Luke had tricked them into bearing Atlas' burden- holding up the sky. The strain of it nearly killed Annabeth." He paused again, and gulped.

"Is that why she has a few grey streaks in her hair?" Melissa asked, softly, recognizing that it was a sore subject for Percy.

Percy nodded, and then continued. "Zoë was killed by Atlas, and Thalia pledged to take her place as a Huntress." He said.

"The next year, I started at a new school. I ran into a mortal girl who had helped us on the previous quest, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She helped me out once again, saving me form some empousai."

Melissa shuddered, and Percy continued. "Rachel can see through the mist. Not many mortals can do that. Anyways, Annabeth and I were supposed to go out later that day, and I ran into her. We quickly escaped to camp. We found an entrance to the Labyrinth. That's an underground system of mazes. It was really confusing, and crazy, and weird down there."

Melissa raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. Percy ignored her.

"We destroyed Alcatraz, caused a massive eruption of Mount St. Helens, I spent two weeks on Ogygia with Calypso, came back, Annabeth freaked out because she was literally preparing my funeral, and then we went back into the Labyrinth, bringing Rachel with us to navigate. We found that Kronos had taken Luke's body, and he was back. The summer ended with a huge fight between the campers and monsters. We won. We spent a lot of the next year training. I went to take out a ship full of monsters with another camper, Beckendorf. We succeeded, but he went down with the ship. Then- well-" Percy broke off.

There were some things that he wasn't ready to tell Melissa.

"A lot of stuff happened, and it all came down to a battle in Manhattan, that I kind of led. Morpheus put all of the mortals to sleep, and we fought. Ethan, another demigod, tried to stab me at one point, but Annabeth took the blow. She didn't know that the dagger was poisoned, but we saved her just in time.

"Eventually, we made our way up to Olympus. Annabeth and I fought Kronos, even though Annabeth was still weak from the wound. Annabeth reminded Luke that he, back when them met, promised never to hurt her. Luke slowly overpowered Kronos, and I had a choice, to either give him Annabeth's knife to kill himself, or not to. I chose to give him the knife, and Kronos was destroyed along with Luke.

"The gods honored us. Grover became a member of the Council of Cloven Elders, Annabeth was enlisted to rebuild Olympus, and they gave me the chance to become a god."

"And you turned them down." Melissa said, looking at him, wide eyed. "You said no."

"I said no because I would rather have a normal life- stay down here with Annabeth, and all of my friends. I made them promise that they would all claim their children, and honor the minor gods at Camp Half-Blood. Then, Rachel became the new oracle." Percy finished. "And they all lived happily ever after." He added, sarcastically.

Melissa stared at Percy. He felt that she was studying him, dissecting him. "So you're like a hero, then. You're all heroes?"

Percy shrugged. "It seems weird, looking back on all of it now. It seems so long ago, when it's only been a few months. We just did what we had to do, and it worked."

She rolled her eyes, and got up, mumble something about 'being humble'. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, and then turned back to Percy.

"So is it Capture the Flag tonight? I've been waiting to play." She said, changing the subject.

"Yeah." He said. "We're against the Athena Cabin, though. Annabeth plays dirty."

* * *

The night's game was Ares, Hermes, Poseidon, and Demeter, versus everyone else. Clarisse, having captured the last flag, was the leader of the Ares team. After Chiron gave the 'No maiming' speech, the game began. She pulled the entire team into a huddle.

"Alright." She said, clasping her hands together. "Demeter Cabin, You'll be on the flag. That's right, all of you. I want the Ares cabin split in two. Team one will come with me, around the left side. Part two, take the Hermes cabin, and stay on the defensive. Except for you two- the Stolls. Take the right side offense with the Fish Sticks." Percy and Melissa looked at each other, and snorted.

"Any questions? I thought not. Go." She demanded.

Percy and Melissa stalked off into the woods with the Stolls. "Hey, Perce?" One of them said. Percy couldn't see which one it was, in the night and behind his armor. "Your girlfriend didn't give you any hints or anything, you know, to help you find weak spots or something?"

Percy let out a loud chuckle. "If Annabeth told me anything, it would be absolutely wrong. It would put us in the worst possible place."

They were well into the forest by now. "I think we should take the right around back, and get the flag from behind." Connor said, lifting the faceplate of his armor.

"No-" Percy said, looking around, and trailing off. "The Athenas have a lot of plans up their sleeve, but they all involve more defense behind the flag than in front of it."

"I don't think so, Percy." Travis interjected. "I heard Malcolm talking. I think they have a new plan."

"No. They have always been the same." Percy said.

"Oh, I guess the son of the Sea God just can't be wrong." Connor said, mockingly.

Suddenly, Melissa snapped at them. "Kourtney! Khloe! Kim! Shut up and stop fighting! I think I hear something!"

They instantly quieted down. Percy stared around, listening for what she had heard.

There was a rustle, a snap, and a whirring from a tree up above. "GET DOWN!" Percy shouted, pushing Melissa into the ground. The four of the hit the dirt ground, just as three arrows whizzed pat where their chests had been, landing just feet above their heads. Percy looked around. "It's Thalia." He said, inspecting the arrows.

"How do you know?" Connor asked.

"Who else could shoot four arrows at once with perfect accuracy besides a huntress?"

Another two arrows whirred by, just narrowly missing Travis' head.

"Yo!" He said, in surprised. "Why is she aiming for me?"

Thalia swung from the upper limps of a tree, and she began to climb down. "We're safe for a while." Percy said. "She's afraid of heights." All four turned and ran.

Percy smiled, as they sped off. "They say- when a girl- tries to kill you- it means-" He trailed off. They were surrounded by alternating pink and grey armor. The Athenas and Aphrodites were led by Malcolm, who stepped forward. His unit followed. He held one of the Stolls at knifepoint. Two girls in pink armor restrained Connor. A very big Aphrodite girl held a dagger to Melissa's throat.

An Aphrodite boy stepped forward, and held his sword to Percy's neck.

Percy did something that he hadn't done before. He swiftly grabbed the blade of the sword, removed it from his throat, and ran away. He heard the puzzlement of the others as he ran swiftly in the direction of the flag.

Someone grasped his arm, and stopped him. He turned around. There was no one there.

"Annabeth?" He asked, staring at no one.

"Duh." She responded, clearly.

"Will you take your hat off?" He asked, as she tightened her grip on his wrist.

"Nope." He felt a cool blade press against the skin on his neck. "How'd you escape?"

He looked around. "I grabbed the blade, and moved it."

"Stupid!" She interjected. " You might as well just tell everyone if you're going to be an idiot." She said, briefly, pulling off her hat, and appearing behind him.

She resumed her grip on his arm, but instead of holding the blade to his neck, she held it to the small of his back. "Annabeth." He said, softly, taking in a breath and then gulping. "Careful."

He could almost hear her smile. "You don't have to worry." She said, softly and reassuringly in his ear, as they walked off toward the jail. "But, you are my prisoner, Seaweed Brain. And as my prisoner, I need you to be submissive, and this is the only way."

"Not the only way." Percy said, as they continued walking. Annabeth giggled, something that she didn't do very often. She pressed her lips to his cheek.

As they walked back to the jail, screams and cheers signified the end of the game. Annabeth removed her knife, and Percy slid his hand into hers. "Who won?" He asked, as they redirected their way from the woods.

"Percy, I've been here with you. How would I know?" She groaned, and then mumbled "My team, obviously."

"We'll see." Percy said, bumping his side into hers.

They reached the end of the forest. Annabeth was wrong. Percy's team was rejoicing. Connor, Travis, and Melissa were being lifted onto the shoulders of the rest of the team, and Melissa had the flag draped over her shoulders.

Annabeth's hand went limp in Percy's. "Tell Melissa I said congrats. I'll talk to you later." She said angrily. "I have to go discipline my team."

"Don't be too rough." Percy said. "It's not our fault we're awesome."

"Quiet, you." She said, kissing his cheek and running off in a huff.

Percy walked toward his team. "What happened?" He yelled, over the tumult.

"Whatever you did, Perce- Whatever the hell you did kid, it worked." Connor said. "After you escaped, they were so confused, they loosened their grips, and we got away. We raced to the flags, Travis and I held everyone off until Clarisse got there, and then Mel got the flag."

After they finished reveling in their win, Annabeth, Percy, and Melissa went for a walk on the shoreline.

"So, Percy tells me he told you everything." Annabeth said, looking at Melissa.

"Almost everything." Percy said, putting his arm around Annabeth's shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her palm on the small of his back- a consoling touch to the place she had threatened earlier.

"I just hope her got all of the details right." Annabeth smiled. "Did he tell you about the time I save his life?"

"Which time?" Melissa grinned in the moonlight.

"He got it right then." Annabeth smiled.

"Hey." Percy objected. "I've saved your life plenty of times."

"And we are quite proud of him for each of them." A deep, calm voice said from behind them.

The three teenagers whipped their head around. A man was following them, wearing khaki cargo shorts, a red Margaritaville T-Shirt, and an green hat, that said "NEPTUNE'S LUCK FISHING HAT.'

"Dad." Percy said, walking toward the god.

"Hello, son." Poseidon said. Percy bowed his head slightly, and the extended his hand, which Poseidon shook graciously.

"How are things?" Percy asked, as he was joined by the two girls.

"Oh, fine, fine." The sea god said, removing his hat. "Triton's been having some trouble with a young Naiad, but it's been sorted." He explained, exasperatedly.

"What brings you to camp?" Percy asked.

"Oh, just passing. I heard you were here early, and I thought I'd stop and say hello." He glanced around at the current company. "Ah! Annabeth!" Poseidon said, smiling at her. "There are very few who are kin of Athena who I am fond of, and I daresay you have grown on me, child. How are you?"

Annabeth blushed. "Thank you, Lord Poseidon, that means a lot." She said, genuinely. "And I am well."

"And Melissa." Poseidon said, addressing his daughter, fondly. "It is so nice to finally meet you."

Melissa was pale white, and she was biting down hard on her lip. Percy thought for a minute that she was about to pass out. He'd never seen her like that. "N-nice to meet you too." She said, softly, staring at her feet.

Poseidon looked disappointed at her lack of enthusiasm. "It was great to see you again, but I must get back to my palace." He said, hurriedly. "Annabeth, dear, I'm sure your mother would send her love if we were on speaking terms." He said, with a tip of his cap.

Then he stepped into the ocean, and a large wave swallowed him up, and took him away.

Melissa was silent. She didn't say a word all the way back to the cabins. The bid adieu to Annabeth, and then started back into the Cabin 3.

"What's wrong, Melissa?" Percy asked as she collapsed onto her bed. "What happened back there?"

"I got… angry." She breathed, laying back in the bed. She was on the verge of tears. "I got so mad. All of this time, he's been here, when I thought that he was dead. After my mom died, I was put into foster homes and foster homes, and more crappy foster homes. The Marshalls, who wouldn't let me eat if I didn't the house my room. Mrs. Williams who never believed a word I said. The Carsons who didn't give a care, and more. If he was there all along, why didn't he so something to help? Why didn't he care?"

Percy sat beside her, and put an arm around her to try and calm her tears.

"It's normal to feel like that. It's normal to be angry. You can't let the anger consume you, though. It'll destroy you. I've seen it happen." Percy let out a breath. "And everything he did- or didn't do, for that matter, as hard as it is to believe, was for your safety."

Melissa shook her head, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Thanks." She whispered. "I'm okay. I guess it was just- seeing him." She said, "That made me freak out a little. I had a long day. Maybe I just need to sleep." She said, lying down.

"Night then." Percy said, looking at her, cautiously. He wasn't entirely convinced that she was okay.

* * *

**Hey guys. I'm sorry for taking so long to update, and for the wordiness and thousand word recap of the entire series. Feel free to correct me if anything is hugely wrong. I hope you liked the chapter :)**

Mary

PS. Chapter Five comes on Friday in honor of the Lightning Thief premiere :)  
Keep a watch for: Chapter Five- Rachel Falls Into Love


	5. Rachel Falls Into Love

**Chapter Five: Rachel Falls into Love.**

Mr. D was letting it get warmer, there were birds flying in the sky, and the Aphrodite girls significantly peppier than normal. All of these together could only mean one thing- winter was ending, and Valentine's day was well on it's way.

Rachel came to visit over her February vacation. She, to the displeasure of many other campers, brought a very large box along with her. This box was bigger that Rachel herself, and it was filled to the brim with Valentine's day decorations.

Soon enough, the camp was like a Pepto Bismol ad, filled with pink hearts and confetti, and red streamers. Every cabin, (with the exception of Ares', because Clarisse wouldn't have it,) had a huge, offending paper mâché heart on the door. Rachel decided to be unconventional though; hanging mistletoe that she had saved from Christmas all around the camp. She had good reasoning though. She explained to everyone that she did not understand that why mistletoe was saved for Christmas, an unromantic holiday.

Therefore, Rachel Elizabeth Dare traveled around camp with a high, metal ladder, hanging mistletoe in the still-bare trees, while the new Aphrodite twins followed her with the massive box of decorations.

As Percy walked with Annabeth, Malcolm, and Melissa, they watcher the new oracle quite literally paint the camp red. It was like she was on a frenzy. Percy guessed that she was overcompensating for the fact that she was now destined to be a maiden forever. She was trying to make the day more romantic for everyone else. Annabeth spoke up. "I'd imagine that this is what Lady Aphrodite's castle looked like before last year." She said thoughtfully. "Well, not when I'm done with it.."

"I understand that this is like, their holiday and all," Melissa said, irately, as an Aphrodite girl sped by, with numerous boxes of chocolates. "But this is ridiculous."

"This is the problem now-" Malcolm said, battling away the cupid balloon that had been following that had been following him for yards. "Now the Demeter cabin will want to have Arbor Day, and Nico will have to have Halloween, and-" He was cut off by a crash and a scream from behind him.

The four spun around. Rachel's Valentines box was smashed on the ground, and she was lying on top of it. The Aphrodite girls were frantic. They didn't know what to do. Percy ran back to her, the others following him. "What happened?" Annabeth said, instinctively leaning down to see if she was breathing, and had a heartbeat.

"She just- fell." One twin whimpered. "She literally just fell over."

"Malcolm, help me get her to the Big House," Percy directed, as he and the other boy hoisted Rachel up. She was limp and unmoving.

Chiron and Mr. D were on the front porch, laying pinochle in the nice weather, as usual.

"Gods. What happened?" Chiron said once he had seen them, rushing forward. "Bring her in, bring her in."

They brought Rachel into the parlor, and rested her onto the sofa. "She fell of a ladder. We're not really sure how." Malcolm said. "She just fell into the box of decorations," Mr. D waved up a bowl of water and a towel, and thrust it toward Melissa, who looked at him confusedly.

"Dab her head! What kind of daughter of Poseidon are you? Don't know what to do with a bowl of water."

Chiron studied Rachel. "She could have simply fallen," He said, sweeping a piece of hair from her face. "Or she could have had an insight or vision, one that caused her to fall. The pure shock of it. I just wish she could tell us what she had seen," He added, wistfully.

"Doubt it." Mr. D said. "Have you seen this one walking around? No coordination."

Nobody paid him any attention. Melissa continued to dab at Rachel's forehead. Annabeth had one hand in Rachel's and the other in Percy's. Malcolm was just staring at Rachel expectantly, as if he thought she was just going to jump up and say "Kidding!"

"I think all that we can do is wait." Chiron said, after they had been sitting there for well over half-an-hour.

"Maybe one of us should stay with her," Percy suggested. "So a friend is there when she wakes up."

"I'll stay." Annabeth volunteered. "Someone bring me lunch." She said, looking at the clock in the corner.

"Alright," Percy said, "I'll bring you something."

He squeezed her hand before everyone left.

Annabeth stayed with Rachel for a few hours.

She switched with Melissa, who was to stay until curfew.

Percy took over after that.

Percy entered the Big House parlor, and sat down beside Melissa. Percy grabbed Rachel's flaccid hand. "How is she?" He asked Melissa, who stood up quickly.

"No change." She said, softly, reaching her hand out, and tucking a piece of Rachel's hair behind her ear. Just as she did so, something changed.

Rachel began to shake. She wasn't moving, but her body seemed to vibrate. Her eyes didn't open, but her mouth began to move. Three voices emerged from her lips in perfect harmony.

"_The surplus you face holds weapons untold.  
__Six half-bloods must chase this challenge so bold.  
__West in the center, castle and pool,  
__One amongst will prove a fool.  
__The evil you seek can just be defied,  
__When children of sea and sky collide.  
__One will triumph, while one falls instead,  
_'_Tis daughter of wisdom's greatest dread."_

Melissa stared at Percy. "What just happened?" She asked him, blankly. "What was that?" She said, with a hitch in her voice. Rachel was still once again.

"She just made a prophecy." Percy said, raising an eyebrow, and looking at his friend on the couch nervously. "I think she just granted one of us a quest."

"A what?" Melissa said, frantically.

"A quest, a journey, a mission." He said quickly. "We need to tell Chiron."

* * *

That night, there was an emergency meeting of the cabin leaders and co-leaders, with Chiron and Mr. D.

They sat around a table; Percy was in between Annabeth and Melissa. The other campers were looking around nervously, some were chattering under their breath. Others were silent, looking frightened. Chiron stood, and looked at his pupils thoughtfully.

"Now," Chiron said. "I trust that you all know of Rachel Elizabeth Dare's accident earlier today."

There was a general nod of understanding throughout the group.

"As we speak, she lies in the Big House, recovering. Although she is unconscious, she delivered a prophecy to Percy Jackson and Melissa Robbins." The chattering fell silent. "There is a possibility that she was just speaking off a dream, or gods forbid, something has been damaged in her mind."

"But there is a huge chance that it is legitimate, right?" Percy interjected.

Chiron nodded, and waved him off. "It is, because of all of these reasons, that I do not think we need to take immediate action, but I do think that we should however, be prepared."

"Can Johnson share the Prophecy?" Mr. D said, kicking his feet up onto the table.

Percy stood up, and recited the prophecy to all of the campers, who paid him their full attention. When he was finished, he plopped back into his seat, and slid his hand into Annabeth's.

"Shall we begin analyzing it?" Chiron asked, folding his hands, and pulling some parchment from one of the satchels on his back.

"_The surplus you face holds weapons untold." _He recited, slowly.

Nico spoke up from the end of the table. "Could the 'surplus' be all of the monsters that have been coming up?" He asked, tugging on the collar of his jacket to pull it off. He laid it on the back of his chair. "And the weapons untold, they can reincarnate faster, like the manticore?"

Chiron scribbled something down on the paper.

"Or-" Said a timid voice from beside Percy, as Melissa interrupted, barely audible. "The 'excess' could mean more new half-bloods. Powerful ones?"

Chiron accepted this too, and then turned to Mr. D, who nodded.

"Before a few of you got here," He said, gruffly. "A monster infiltrated camp."

"Infiltrated?" Thalia asked. "Like, it was summoned?"

Chiron shook his head. "It seemed much more like it had broken through the barrier, like the year that the tree had been poisoned, except, the barrier is in perfect health, of course." He said, referring to the Golden Fleece that now resided on the tree. "We couldn't identify the monster, nor could our celestial bronze arrows penetrate its exoskeleton. We frightened whatever it was away, though."

Chiron finished, and cleared his throat loudly. "Just in case it is relevant. Moving on."

"Six half-bloods, that is easy enough." He said, making a checkmark on the parchment.

"_West in the center, castle and pool, One amongst will prove a fool." _He read. "West in the center…" Chiron said, looking out at the campers.

"West Central High School, in Bronx is known for their swim team!" A son of Hephaestus said, loudly.

"There's a castle in West Central Park!" Someone else suggested.

"Central Seventh Plaza Mall is in divisions, East and West! And they have a store, Shoe Castle!" Said Lauren Allard, Who had been Silena's second in command.

Chiron scribbled a few more things, while Dionysus recited the next line. "_The evil you seek can just be defied, __When children of sea and sky collide."_

Everyone looked at Thalia.

She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I'll go, there's no way around that," She leaned back into her seat, as if to say the matter was resolved. It seemed that the campers accepted this, because their gaze instantly swept like a wave over to Percy and Melissa.

"Children of Sea?" Chiron said, openly, looking at the two siblings.

"We'll both have to go, right?" Percy said, questioningly. "The prophecy was delivered to both of us."

Chiron nodded slowly, after thinking for a bit. "I would think so. '_One will triumph, while one falls instead…' _He read. All eyes fell onto either Percy or Melissa. _"Tis daughter of wisdom's greatest dread."_

There wasn't a single noise in the room. Percy felt like he'd been hit by a train. Had Rachel just predicted his death? He hadn't thought of it like that before.

Annabeth's grip on his hand tightened, as she spoke loudly, and cleanly. "I want to go." She said, fiercely, as if daring Chiron not to let her. He didn't say a word.

"Hey, I can go too." Nico said, waving from the end of the table. "What have I got to lose?"

Malcolm sat up from Annabeth's left side. "I can go too." He volunteered, patting Annabeth on the shoulder. "That makes six."

Chiron looked back and forth at all of the campers who had volunteered, and then sighed.

"So be it. Keep bags packed, and we will wait. Wait for a sign or a clue on how to proceed, or if to do so at all."

With that, he excused the campers.

"I need to talk to you." Annabeth whispered in Percy's ear, as they left the hall.

Percy parted with Melissa, who headed back to the cabin. He and Annabeth made there was to the edge of the lake. She laid back on the grass at the water's edge, and looked up to the stars. Percy did the same, tentatively taking her hand.

"What did you-" He began, but she cut him off instantly.

"I'm scared, Percy." She said, bluntly. "I'm scared that this might all be for real. I'm scared that there might not be a loophole this time. What are odds that the whole 'child of Athena' thing with Daedalus would work out a second time?" She took in a deep breath. "I'm just scared, Percy."

"You didn't have to volunteer, Annabeth." Percy said, turning on his side to look at her.

"Anywhere you go, I'm going too, Seaweed Brain." She responded, she was laughing slightly, but there were sincere tears in her eyes. "I hope that after all this time you've come to realize that. We're sticking together, and there is no way I'm letting you have all of the fun."

She leaned upward, so Percy could put his arm around her, and they laid back down.

Percy saw Zoë Nightshade's constellation in the sky, and Percy found himself wondering about death. What would happen when he did die? Would there we a constellation dedicated to him, or would he be forgotten? He squeezed Annabeth just a little bit tighter.

"Do you think the prophecy is for real?" Annabeth asked him quietly, sounding scared to hear his response.

"I do." He responded, solemnly. She buried her head in his shoulder. He couldn't tell if she was crying, or if she was just shielding her face- a brave attempt to hide from the imminent duty they had just volunteered for. Protecting herself from what may lie ahead.

They fell asleep that way- on the lake's shore. Annabeth was encircled in Percy's arms, and he was ready and willing to hold her forever.

* * *

_In his dream, Percy saw water- lots of water, swirling around a large dark shape. There were balls of light piercing through the water, creating an impenetrable border. And then, there was a flash of red- a streak of blood, and he heard a loud scream…._

_

* * *

_

"Throw some water on them!" Percy vaguely heard someone laugh. He was reluctant to open his eyes. He heard something meet the lake's water, and then splash into the air.

"Damn. I forgot. He can't get wet." Percy recognized the voice as Thalia. The other was one of the Stoll brothers, probably Travis. Percy felt Annabeth awake against his chest. She stifled a laugh.

"I could give them a little shock. That'd wake them," Thalia said, evilly.

Percy and Annabeth rocketed up at the same time. "No, that's okay, Thalia." Annabeth said, standing up, and sweeping excess grass off of herself.

"You are so lucky that we found you and not Mr. D." Travis said, offering a hand to Percy to help him up.

"What time is it?" Percy asked, looking around.

"Six." Thalia said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Why are you guys doing out and ready so early?" Annabeth asked, eyeing Thalia suspiciously.

"She's giving me archery lessons." Travis explained quickly. "I want to be as bomb as she was in capture the flag."

Neither of them had a single bow or arrow.

"You two had better get going then." Percy said, with a furtive grin on his face, grabbing Annabeth's hand, and starting off for the cabins. Once they were out of earshot, Annabeth looked at Percy.

"She is way too old for him!" She said, shortly.

Percy smiled. "What is he, like nineteen?" He asked. "And she's twenty-one, but she looks sixteen."

"That makes them dating doubly illegal!" Annabeth whispered harshly with a laugh as they approached the cabins. "I'll see you a little later, then?" Annabeth asked, as she turned for her cabin door.

Percy nodded, pushing his hands into his pockets. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "I lo- I'll see you." He stammered almost imperceptibly.

* * *

**Hey, so I know that this isn't my longest chapter, but I needed to update, and it was either stop here, or write, like a million times more, which I'm totally not up to right now. I might redo this one eventually, who knows? Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. They brought up a few things I'd like to address. **

**1.) This story won't end for quite a while. I have a lot more to tell, and I aready have a sequel planned.  
2.) Alright guys, this needs to be said. This story is rated K+. I do not intend on changing the rating to anything higher that T, and only if necessary. If you want more that that, I suggest you read something else. A few people said that they would like to see more romance between Percy and Annabeth, and there will be- just hold on. I have a lot of plans in store for them. Many ups and downs, a lot of doubts. It's a bumpy ride, especially for Annabeth.**

Thanks for the support, and tell me what you think :)


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